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The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma has stated that he does not make use ‘security vote,’ but has made a case for governors to be given more latitude and headroom to tackle security challenges at the sub-national level.
Uzodinma made this disclosure on Thursday after meeting with President Bola Tinubu to secure an appointment for South East leaders and Ohanaeze Ndigbo to meet with the President over unrelenting insecurity in the region.
As the state’s chief security officer, the governor emphasized that he lacks any security votes to draw on, but he managed to use both kinetic and non-kinetic tactics to address security issues to the extent that the law allowed him to. He emphasized the need for giving governors more freedom so they may carry out their duties properly.
Read Also: Insecurity: Uzodinma Has Abandoned Imo, PDP Cries Out
The governor pointed out that the people of the South East, like other regions, deserve the Federal Government’s support to enable them to live their daily lives and go about their businesses.
He, however, did not give details of what the South East leaders would be demanding from the President when the meeting holds but lamented that non-state actors have utilised fear, indiscriminate killing and brigandage to enforce an illegal sit-at-home in the region.
According to him, it has become an issue of ‘perception management,’ pointing out that international diplomacy, which is also part of the solution, is beyond the purview of governors.
Meanwhile, the Imo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has described as unfortunate the inability of Governor Uzodinma to stem the rising insecurity in the state.
The spokesman for the Imo PDP 2023 gubernatorial campaign, Barr. Gozie Nwachukwu made the claim at a press conference which was monitored by The Eastern Updates yesterday.
The PDP said Uzodinma relocated to Abuja since President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration and abdicated his constitutional responsibility of ensuring that the lives and property of the people are secured.
